


Bruises

by calswrites



Series: Divinely Uninspired [2]
Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Breaking Up & Making Up, Brightwell, F/M, Light Angst, Post-Break Up, Songfic, divinely uninspired to a hellish extent, lewis capaldi - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:18:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23383609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/calswrites/pseuds/calswrites
Summary: They were dependent on each other as friends and lovers, but Dani and Bright hadn’t been able to fill the small void in their hearts since they had broken up a couple of months prior. They decided it was for the better if they kept their relationship professional. There was too much baggage between the two of them and neither one wanted the other to carry that burden.OR, a post-breakup Brightwell oneshot in which the two attempt to rekindle what they once had.
Relationships: Malcolm Bright/Dani Powell
Series: Divinely Uninspired [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1677724
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	Bruises

**_ii. and if only i could hold you, you’d keep my head from going under._ ** ****

They were dependent on each other as friends and lovers, but Dani and Bright hadn’t been able to fill the small void in their hearts since they had broken up a couple of months prior. They decided it was for the better if they kept their relationship professional. There was too much baggage between the two of them and neither one wanted the other to carry that burden.

Lately, both of them had been deeply regretting that decision. Even though they had vowed to stay friends after their breakup, they didn’t. They distanced themselves from each other. Their desperate attempt at maintaining professionalism was failing immensely. They both tried different ways to deal with splitting, but it all seemed like it was for nothing.

Dani had been trying dating again after a couple of weeks of recovery from their mutual split, but she quickly found that her work schedule wasn’t ideal for relationships in general. So, she began to blame herself. She found anything and everything wrong with her past relationships and twisted it in a way that made her feel responsible for all of it.

Malcolm, on the other hand, swore off of dating again. He had tried multiple times, and this raised the question of if he should even be trying anymore. It certainly hadn’t worked for him in the past and, unfortunately, she ended up as just another failed attempt at normalcy.

While they were together though, it was arguably the best time of their lives. Malcolm was happy for the first time in a long time. Dani was too. She never talked about it, but she also struggled with anxiety and depression. She was able to open up to Malcolm about her struggles and she was finally able to feel less alone when they connected.

Everyone in the precinct noticed their tension. It started out as simply not talking to each other unless they had to, but soon, it started interfering more with their work. The two would refuse to be alone together in fear of falling back into their old ways.

Both Gil and JT took notice of this tension and Gil, having the privilege of seniority over the team, decided that he needed to take things into his own hands. He called the ex-lovers into his office early one morning, but, to their surprise, Gil was nowhere to be seen. It was just the two of them, alone, in the place where it all started.

“I should have known,” Dani scoffed, pressing her tongue into her cheek.

“It’s not like either of us was sleeping,” he said. Bright walked a bit closer to her and sat on the edge of one of the desks. “Plus, he wouldn’t have brought us here if it wasn’t important. You know that.”

She avoided eye contact with him, shaking her head slightly. “I still should have known.”

“Would you have come if you knew? Dani, look at us. You won’t even make eye contact with me. How are we supposed to work together if we can’t stand in the same room together without things being awkward?”

“I hate it when you’re right,” she whispered, sitting down on the desk next to where Bright was sitting.

He paused for a second before speaking, studying her posture. “Do you hate me?”

Dani’s head snapped up to meet his eyes. “No.” She started to tear up at the thought of possibly hating him. “I could never hate you.” Her voice softened. “You… are the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Malcolm.”

“Then why?”

“Why what?”

“I thought things were going well. Granted, I’m not the best at dealing with my feelings, but I really thought we had something.” Now he was the one on the verge of tears.

“We did. We still do.”

“So why aren’t we together? Why’d we break up? I’ve been wracking my brain every single night and… I can’t figure it out.”

Dani’s lip shook as she tried to force a smile. “I’m scared.” A tear fell down her cheek, but she didn’t even move to wipe it away. “I’m scared that once I start to open up, I won’t be able to stop, and I don’t want to put you through that.”

“I’m scared too,” he said softly, standing so that he could be closer to her. He reached up to cup her cheek and use the pad of his thumb to wipe away her tears. She let herself melt into his touch. “But… I think we can make this work.”

Her eyes met his again. This time, they were filled with a need that he hadn’t seen since they had split. She needed him, so she nodded, agreeing to try things out again. He wrapped his arms around her, letting her bury her face into his chest. “I love you,” she mumbled quietly, her voice slightly muffled by his clothes.

Bright still managed to hear her and held her a bit closer. He didn’t hesitate to say it back. “I love you, too.” After those words left his mouth, there was a bit of trust that seemed to crawl back into both of them. She let her shoulders drop, relaxed, and hug him tighter. “I’m glad you’re here, Dani,” he whispered, gently kissing the top of her head.

“I’m glad you’re here, too.” She pulled away from the hug to look up at him. “You always give the best hugs.”

“That’s not the only thing I’m good at,” he smiled slightly, brushing his thumb over her bottom lip and letting his other hand rest on her waist.

“Alright, don’t go getting all cocky now.” She rolled her eyes playfully, moving her arms to drape around his neck.

“You’re not saying denying it…” She played with the hair at the nape of his neck before he leaned in to kiss her. They quickly fell back into their old routine, starting out tender and getting more passionate as they went. He resisted the urge to lay her back on the desk she was sitting on, knowing that every inch of the precinct had camera coverage.

“We can, uh, finish this later,” she said, pulling away slowly.

He nodded, sharing the same intentions she did. They took a minute to just look at each other and get lost in the eyes they had avoided for too long. “Thank you,” he smiled sincerely at her.

“For…?”

“Giving me another chance.”

She smiled back at him, running her fingers through his ridiculously soft hair. “You gave me another chance, too, so thank you.” They hugged again, something they had missed most about each other. While each other’s touch was nice and much needed, the embrace also exchanged a set of words that didn’t exist in any language but opened them up to each other’s most complicated feelings. They were vulnerable with each other and they shared a newfound level of trust that they didn’t have the first time around.

**Author's Note:**

> this is installment 2 of my relatively new series of brightwell x lewis capaldi song fics! i hope y'all liked it & if you did, leave kudos/a comment, dm me on twitter or insta (calsmulti) to let me know what you think!


End file.
